The Energon Pub

I confronted a scalper in the Target parking lot once, many a year ago when I was young and dumb.

Wow... A few of the things look better on Takara's, like the two different colors on the wing lights, and the lack of legal tampos on the underside of one of the wings... but overall, I'm digging the Hasbro version more. Funny, same thing happened with the original Masterpiece Starscream. (Of course, the differences there were a bit more drastic!)

Of course, there is that one serious issue... No coronation gear in the Hasbro release? That would be like if they left out Rodimus's trailer! Oh, wait... I think I'm the only person who actually likes MP-9, and I do have Takara's, so I have the trailer... So different example... Man, that'd be like if they left out Grimlock's waiter costume!

Which they did...

Man, I wish my Grimlock had a little apron and bowtie...

Honestly, I'm still a bit (happily) surprised that the domestic release of MP-10 Optimus included his trailer!

As for Starscream, I am mostly annoyed at the lack of coronation gear on behalf of others. I think I shall remain content with my Hasbro version of the MP-3 Starscream, and his third party coronation gear.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Let's hope a massive squadron of Starscreams will be released and available so all these asshat scalpers will be stuck with their inventory and lose massive amount of money.

Sadly, I think the scalpers will be safe. There's always someone out there who can't find one in store and is willing to pay any price for it, or else there wouldn't be scalpers in the first place. (Not endorsing Scalpers, mind you, just acknowledging that there are reasons they exist.)

I love this and I love MP-09 also.

That scalper is probably the same f!@#ing jerk who buys all the BlackJack.

william-james88 wrote:Those who preordered the Hasbro release of Masterpiece Starscream from toysrus.ca have already received their figure but he was still not on the Toysrus shelves in Canada. He was found this morning in the Montreal Toysrus near Decarie Boulevard for 89.99$ cdn (69.50$ US) before taxes.



Sadly, moments later, every copy had been purchased by a known local scalper's elderly parents. Your fellow news editor was not pleased and took a picture.



Also, for those still unsure about the release, here is a detailed account of every difference this Hasbro release has over the Takara release of MP 11 Starscream:

Blue nosecone tip

Lights at the tip of the wings are both green (red and green on Takara)

The blue paint found on the feet, forearms and lower legs has a metallic finish different than the Takara blue which tries more to match the blue plastic used on the hands

The wing tips are a darker blue

The face is a shade lighter

The dark grey plastic used for intakes and the seat is a shade lighter

Decepticon logo has a silver border (along with silver legal writing on the wings)

The shade of yellow used on the cockpit is deeper and lighter.

Hasbro pilot figure is black (clear blue for Takara)

Megatron gun clip is grey (black for Takara)

Joints are tighter overall and the chest no longer slides once transformed properly into robot mode.

Also, instead of the coronation gear, you get the standard base with stand that came with MP 3 (the first MP Starscream) along with 2 missile racks.

So yeah a pretty big difference in toys afterall.

You couldn't take out a couple of old people?

What a lowlife scumbag sending his parents out to do the dirty work, probably to scared of getting his ass handed to him so he hides in the basement like a little child. Did you at least call them out on it and call them and their kid a derogatory name? But never the less you should talk to the manager about it, maybe get a group of people together to do it. Im sure the store would rather lose one scalper than a bunch of real costumers.

Megatron Wolf wrote:What a lowlife scumbag sending his parents out to do the dirty work, probably to scared of getting his ass handed to him so he hides in the basement like a little child. Did you at least call them out on it and call them and their kid a derogatory name? But never the less you should talk to the manager about it, maybe get a group of people together to do it. Im sure the store would rather lose one scalper than a bunch of real costumers.

It was tricky. I didnt expect to see them there so in that moment I didnt know what to do. I did call them out on it asking if they would take them all. But they pretended to not understand me.

The manager was there and I was battling it out in my head whether I should tell him or not. But then I realized he doesnt care. I was at the store getting 30$ back from having purchased that same starscream with a raincheck while these people were buying them all full price. As a manager, why would he care what I say, who's the better customer between us? They guy who abuses the customer laws system to get the best deal possible (me), or these elderly people (I mean pushing 70) who are buying all his stock full price? Why wouldnt he let them buy it. In his eyes, it might not be different than a collector buying a bunch of vehicons to army build, its just a bigger transaction with way more money. Would the manager really care? Or be annoyed with all the other stuff he has going on in his day? So thats what I was thinking of the whole time. There is nothing I can do at this level. BUT there is something we can all do as a community, me included. We can not succumb to scalpers, either locally or on amazon or e-bay. We can get our stuff from the store when it comes out and refuse to pay a dollar more than retail for any recent product. If we all do that, then the problem would be solved. The only reason these scalpers are alive is because the consumers keep them alive (the same goes for scalping event tickets and the rest).

I myself have vouched o never spend more than retail price (plus shipping) (and yes, to the detriment of me never getting a figure, like Hasbro's MP Soundwave, Generations Arcee and Chromia which I still do not have to this day). If we all do the same, the scalping community would all choke on its own breath.

william-james88 wrote:

Megatron Wolf wrote:What a lowlife scumbag sending his parents out to do the dirty work, probably to scared of getting his ass handed to him so he hides in the basement like a little child. Did you at least call them out on it and call them and their kid a derogatory name? But never the less you should talk to the manager about it, maybe get a group of people together to do it. Im sure the store would rather lose one scalper than a bunch of real costumers.

It was tricky. I didnt expect to see them there so in that moment I didnt know what to do. I did call them out on it asking if they would take them all. But they pretended to not understand me.

The manager was there and I was battling it out in my head whether I should tell him or not. But then I realized he doesnt care. I was at the store getting 30$ back from having purchased that same starscream with a raincheck while these people were buying them all full price. As a manager, why would he care what I say, who's the better customer between us? They guy who abuses the customer laws system to get the best deal possible (me), or these elderly people (I mean pushing 70) who are buying all his stock full price? Why wouldnt he let them buy it. In his eyes, it might not be different than a collector buying a bunch of vehicons to army build, its just a bigger transaction with way more money. Would the manager really care? Or be annoyed with all the other stuff he has going on in his day? So thats what I was thinking of the whole time. There is nothing I can do at this level. BUT there is something we can all do as a community, me included. We can not succumb to scalpers, either locally or on amazon or e-bay. We can get our stuff from the store when it comes out and refuse to pay a dollar more than retail for any recent product. If we all do that, then the problem would be solved. The only reason these scalpers are alive is because the consumers keep them alive (the same goes for scalping event tickets and the rest).

I myself have vouched o never spend more than retail price (plus shipping) (and yes, to the detriment of me never getting a figure, like Hasbro's MP Soundwave, Generations Arcee and Chromia which I still do not have to this day). If we all do the same, the scalping community would all choke on its own breath.

I dunno what's worse? either scalping all those figures(+ if like you suggest.....that he's a couch potato.....what does he do for a living in order to afford to bulk buy all those figures coz MP's aren't exactly all that cheap) or ordering his parents/relatives around to get things for him!(mind you....I'm surprised that his parents/relatives caved in so easily in order to be bossed about!) Now....to be fair....We just don't know enough about this guy's situation........he could be disabled? or even attached to a dialysis machine? or maybe he's just filthy rich & lazy!

Btw I keep calling him a him! it could so easily be a she!

Oh one last thing! not all scalpers sit at home...some probably(not definite) hold key positions of employment within those toy store establishments giving them a unique advantage in grabbing those new Transformers figures first! before they've even hit the shelves! & what do the people they work for or work beside do? probably nothing.....& tend to look the other way &/or the store manager/supervisor probably don't know anything about the scalper that works there's activities! as for those Transformers being logged on their system.....well depending on how well the person that logs such things....knows the scalper that works there.......the info probably gets doctored.

Weird thing is....This probably happens more often than not! but we just don't hear about such things, that it passes us by silently.

How do these scalpers seem to know when and where everything is when it comes out? I once seen a craigslist add for 2 mp Soundwaves and the pic of the figures was in the trunk with toys r us in the backround.....

Stuartmaximus wrote:

I dunno what's worse? either scalping all those figures(+ if like you suggest.....that he's a couch potato.....what does he do for a living in order to afford to bulk buy all those figures coz MP's aren't exactly all that cheap) or ordering his parents/relatives around to get things for him!(mind you....I'm surprised that his parents/relatives caved in so easily in order to be bossed about!) Now....to be fair....We just don't know enough about this guy's situation........he could be disabled? or even attached to a dialysis machine? or maybe he's just filthy rich & lazy!

Btw I keep calling him a him! it could so easily be a she!

Oh one last thing! not all scalpers sit at home...some actually hold key positions of employment within those toy store establishments giving them a unique advantage in grabbing those new Transformers figures first! before they've even hit the shelves! & what do the people they work for or work beside do? probably nothing.....& tend to look the other way &/or the store manager/supervisor probably don't know anything about the scalper that works there's activities! as for those Transformers being logged on their system.....well depending on how well the person that logs such things....knows the scalper that works there.......the info probably gets doctored.

Weird thing is....This probably happens more often than not! but we just don't hear about such things, that it passes us by silently.

So you guys know the details, I know the scalper. He is a vietnamese guy in fit shape and has another job somewhere. He is not disabled or in desperate need of the money.

Splatterhouse wrote:How do these scalpers seem to know when and where everything is when it comes out? I once seen a craigslist add for 2 mp Soundwaves and the pic of the figures was in the trunk with toys r us in the backround.....

william-james88 wrote:So you guys know the details, I know the scalper. He is a vietnamese guy in fit shape and has another job somewhere. He is not disabled or in desperate need of the money.

So you know his complete financial background? How much he takes home each week? What his living expenses are? Maybe he donates a lot to charity?

I'm not defending this guy, I have no love for scalpers, I just don't like reading/hearing comments like this. No one truly knows how "well off" a person is unless they're their accountant.

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:So you guys know the details, I know the scalper. He is a vietnamese guy in fit shape and has another job somewhere. He is not disabled or in desperate need of the money.

So you know his complete financial background? How much he takes home each week? What his living expenses are? Maybe he donates a lot to charity?

I'm not defending this guy, I have no love for scalpers, I just don't like reading/hearing comments like this. No one truly knows how "well off" a person is unless they're their accountant.

Your right, I'm sorry for having inferred that. I just meant the person has another job and this is not his primary source of income. Everything else is pure speculation and I am sorry to have added to it.

william-james88 wrote:It was tricky. I didnt expect to see them there so in that moment I didnt know what to do. I did call them out on it asking if they would take them all. But they pretended to not understand me.

The manager was there and I was battling it out in my head whether I should tell him or not. But then I realized he doesnt care. I was at the store getting 30$ back from having purchased that same starscream with a raincheck while these people were buying them all full price. As a manager, why would he care what I say, who's the better customer between us? They guy who abuses the customer laws system to get the best deal possible (me), or these elderly people (I mean pushing 70) who are buying all his stock full price? Why wouldnt he let them buy it.

I wrote a complain at TRU.ca and included a link to your pictures. I advise everyone to do the same. Why should the manager care? This product is a TRU exclusive and we are forced to pay double the price because they do not limit scalping. Upset buyers is not a good thing. I love collecting TF but i am tired of having to hunt for popular items because scalper buy them all.

I believe collectors bring big $$$ to these stores. We are the ones buying the 100-200$ product...

And like you said this scalper does not need the money. I also know him because i bought something from him before realizing what he was.

The trouble is without scalpers toy collectors overseas can't get some of these figures. I'm not defending them but if they scalp reasonably to make a slight profit while someone else gets the toy they want.... The issue is when the markup is insane that I do have a problem with it. I just refuse to pay those kind of prices and if that means I don't get the figure I can live with it. The best way to vote against scalpers is not to buy the figures at the insane prices they demand and buy from the more reasonable ones or don't buy them at all.

Good luck to those of you still searching for your MP Starscream he's an awesome addition to any collection.

digktialx wrote:The trouble is without scalpers toy collectors overseas can't get some of these figures. I'm not defending them but if they scalp reasonably to make a slight profit while someone else gets the toy they want.... The issue is when the markup is insane that I do have a problem with it. I just refuse to pay those kind of prices and if that means I don't get the figure I can live with it. The best way to vote against scalpers is not to buy the figures at the insane prices they demand and buy from the more reasonable ones or don't buy them at all.

Good luck to those of you still searching for your MP Starscream he's an awesome addition to any collection.

Thing is, most local scalpers here are not selling internationally. Most of what they buy is sold through local web services like kijiji or LesPacs. Some sell through ebay but do not ship oversea. What they are doing is basically a form of speculation. I see them as parasites. They dont make money by doing something useful. They make money by stealing yours.

It's the same thing with food, gas, houses, etc. They just inflate the prices... Worst part is that some of them are on social aid programs. Since it's a revenue they don't declare they do not pay the normal taxes on their profit and on top of that they take money from the taxes you pay...

Thormind wrote:

digktialx wrote:The trouble is without scalpers toy collectors overseas can't get some of these figures. I'm not defending them but if they scalp reasonably to make a slight profit while someone else gets the toy they want.... The issue is when the markup is insane that I do have a problem with it. I just refuse to pay those kind of prices and if that means I don't get the figure I can live with it. The best way to vote against scalpers is not to buy the figures at the insane prices they demand and buy from the more reasonable ones or don't buy them at all.

Good luck to those of you still searching for your MP Starscream he's an awesome addition to any collection.

Thing is, most local scalpers here are not selling internationally. Most of what they buy is sold through local web services like kijiji or LesPacs. Some even sells through sites like Cybertron.ca (for TF). Some sell through ebay but do not ship oversea.

What they are doing is basically a form of speculation. I see them as parasites. They dont make money by doing something useful. They make money by stealing yours. It's the same thing with food, gas, houses, etc. They just inflate the prices...

Worst part is that some of them are on social aid programs. Since it's a revenue they don't declare they do not pay the normal taxes on their profit and on top of that they take money from the taxes you pay...

I totally agree with you Thormind. As for if TRU would care or not, I dont know. In the worst case ever, what if a scalper ammassed enough funds to ask Toysrus to buy all it's exclusive merchandise in one blow at full price (which is what this guy has done on a local scale). Would they theoretically accept this great influx of sudden cashflow or would they reject simply because in this scenario they are now wholesalers and not retailers. Because technically, in the scalper's perspective, tru becomes his personal wholesaler for exclusive items.

Its of course a terrible scenario because all it does is turn TRU into an extra middleman between you and your product, adding to its cost. And I wonder what TRU would think of that.

william-james88 wrote:I totally agree with you Thormind. As for if TRU would care or not, I dont know. In the worst case ever, what if a scalper ammassed enough funds to ask Toysrus to buy all it's exclusive merchandise in one blow at full price (which is what this guy has done on a local scale). Would they theoretically accept this great influx of sudden cashflow or would they reject simply because in this scenario they are now wholesalers and not retailers. Because technically, in the scalper's perspective, tru becomes his personal wholesaler for exclusive items.

Its of course a terrible scenario because all it does is turn TRU into an extra middleman between you and your product, adding to its cost. And I wonder what TRU would think of that.

It all depends on our reactions. If enough people complains and they start thinking about their image, who knows... Also I'm thinking about sending my comments to Hasbro. I know one comment probably will not change anything but if enough of us complain, they might be hesitant to give other exclusives to major retailers. I think Hasbro is aware that many of us are getting tired of the "hunting game". There was some questions about it in their last big survey.

I know i am tired, of hunting but also of the poor Qc they have for their products. Tired enough that i am buying more and more 3rd party and much fewer officials. Take the CW combiners. IMO the only one worth it was Superion. All the others feel weak because their torse is not designed properly or because the quality is poor. I really hope that Bruticus will be better than Menasor and Defensor. I returned both to my... TRU

And to add insult to injury, Quebec FINALLY has platinum editions and MPs at toysrus. That was never the case due to the lack of french. And now that we get them, they are taken by the scalpers (funny enough, he left those platinum dinobots alone haha).

And about enough people complaining, Kanrabat was very adamant on encouraging everyone to write to TRU about adding the french. I sent about 3 letters and also encouraged others. And now look, we have french on the boxes

Also, I do not think Bruticus will be better than those two since he uses the same molds. Though of course, I wish it to you that he surpasses our doubts.

william-james88 wrote:And to add insult to injury, Quebec FINALLY has platinum editions and MPs at toysrus. That was never the case due to the lack of french. And now that we get them, they are taken by the scalpers (funny enough, he left those platinum dinobots alone haha).

And about enough people complaining, Kanrabat was very adamant on encouraging everyone to write to TRU about adding the french. I sent about 3 letters and also encouraged others. And now look, we have french on the boxes

Also, I do not think Bruticus will be better than those two since he uses the same molds. Though of course, I wish it to you that he surpasses our doubts.

Yeah that part as well Just hope I will be able to get a copy from TRU soon to use that raincheck.

As for Bruticus who knows... The Hotspot mold is not that hard to improve. They changed Menasor ratchet so maybe we'll be lucky...

william-james88 wrote:I totally agree with you Thormind. As for if TRU would care or not, I dont know. In the worst case ever, what if a scalper ammassed enough funds to ask Toysrus to buy all it's exclusive merchandise in one blow at full price (which is what this guy has done on a local scale). Would they theoretically accept this great influx of sudden cashflow or would they reject simply because in this scenario they are now wholesalers and not retailers. Because technically, in the scalper's perspective, tru becomes his personal wholesaler for exclusive items.

Its of course a terrible scenario because all it does is turn TRU into an extra middleman between you and your product, adding to its cost. And I wonder what TRU would think of that.

They probably wouldn't care! as long as money is heading in their direction